Sign of the times as RTÉ lose Heineken highlights:

Big rugby coup for Irish language channel TG4

In yet another sign of the economic times; Ireland's state broadcaster RTÉ has lost the rights to show Heineken Cup highlights, starting next season.

TG4 has agreed a new three-year deal with the ERC to broadcast highlights of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup tournaments. The exclusive highlights coverage will kick off in November when the 2011/12 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup season gets under way.

They are the latest tournaments to be added to TG4’s expanding rugby schedule, which already includes the RaboDirect Pro 12 (formerly the Magners League) and deferred coverage of this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.

The station, which pioneered television coverage of schools rugby in Ireland, also has an extensive portfolio of Gaelic games and other live sports, including the National Hurling and Football Leagues, the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling and Football championships and the Club Championships in Hurling and Gaelic Football.